diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/test/gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci/test/gitlab-ci.yml
index 9b55107a5f7..0d2281c53fc 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci/test/gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/test/gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@
   stage: lint
   extends:
     - .use-debian/x86_64_build
+  rules:
+    # in merge pipeline, don't touch the default settings
+    - if: $GITLAB_USER_LOGIN == "marge-bot" && $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == null
+    # in other pipelines, formatting checks are allowed to fail
+    - allow_failure: true
   variables:
     GIT_STRATEGY: fetch
   script: